


Closed Mouth, Open Ears

by Alix1230



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, American Football, Bad Jokes, Boys Kissing, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Falling In Love, Family Dinners, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, High School, Hurt Harry Styles, I’ll add more tags later, Jock Liam, Jock Niall, Literal Sleeping Together, Loud Louis Tomlinson, M/M, Minor Character Death, Mute Harry, Pizza, Short, Short Chapters, Signals, Sleepy Cuddles, Teasing, Watching Someone Sleep, idk what tags to put, laughing, louis is new at school
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-08-11 05:10:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20148178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alix1230/pseuds/Alix1230
Summary: Have you ever had a conversation with someone and you just let them talk their way through, sitting down and listening to every word without you having to reply because you wanted them to have their moment? Wanted to hear everything they had to say and see their smile grow with each word? That’s exactly what Harry did, with a twist. Though, for him, it wasn’t exactly a twist, it’ was a bit of a struggle. Harry had been selectively mute for as long as he could remember. Yeah, he wanted to be able to have a conversation with someone where he could actually talk and discover new things that he was curious about from people, but he was simply unable to let anything slip past his lips. No one other than his sister Gemma really knew 100% why. But then, Louis suddenly came into the picture, fitting himself into the frame.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> hey! the only notes i have for this is like, i’m thinking about making this have chapters and updating once a week or so,, unless it flops lmao. Anyway i have like,, almost nothing planned out pls forgive me. Also,, creds to my friend Sam for helping me with the summary <3  
also i write bad i’m so sorry  
there’s probably a lot of grammar errors that i’ll get to at some point,, i haven’t even read through this i’m literally just sitting here at nearly 1am going for it and posting this
> 
> also,, there’s only a 1 years age difference and they’re both juniors

Louis’ shoulders were aching, a sharp pain rushing up his spine as he grabbed another box out of the uhaul, making way up their sidewalk and up the two steps leading to the door of their new home. 

He didn’t even bother bringing the box clearly labeled ‘cups and glasses’ to the kitchen, just placing it beside the door. He’d just act as if he couldn’t read the writing, his mum wasn’t exactly a pro in calligraphy.

They’d just moved from Doncaster to Cheshire, his step father finding a new job opening that offered at least a good figure more than his last, so they ended up renting the two story house that Louis was currently looking through. 

He had called dibs on the only room other than the master bedroom with its own bathroom, after a lot of bickering with the twins, of course. His main argument was that he was the oldest, but he also threw in a few things like “Ok, whenever my boxers are on the floor and nail clippings are in the sink, you’re not allowed to complain.” That got them to surrender.

Once he heard his mother calling, he just let out a tired groan, making way back downstairs and preparing to carry another box, but to his surprise, the front door was being closed once he got down. 

Louis slapped a relieved smile on his face, placing his hands on his hips and back to give himself a bit more support as he rested, but the grin was soon wiped away as Jay told everyone to bring their boxes to their rooms. They looked horrid all jumbled up in the living room. For once in his life, Louis almost wished he would’ve let the twins win an argument, at least their room was downstairs. 

...

No one was ever excited for the new school week to begin, but Louis dreading it a bit more than all the other students. He was the new kid coming in out of nowhere a month or so after the school year began. He had walked in that day, nearly getting dress coded for his sleeveless Vans muscle shirt as he walked the halls, not even bothering with trying to find his locker. His backpack could handle all the books. 

Louis tried to get familiar with the room numbers, noting where each one of his classes were. Soon, the bell ring, and Louis discovered his memory wasn’t as great as he had thought. Maybe he’d forgotten how bad it was. 

He just mentally cursed himself, spinning in every direction and being met with four different hallways, and he only had about three minutes to make it to room 18, and it really didn’t help that the door on front of him had the number 47 above it. 

Louis just sucked his teeth, heading down one of the hallways and hoping it was the right one, if not, at least he tried. He’d explain to his teacher why he was 5 minutes tardy. 

He kept his eyes on door numbers, and he swore they were all out of order, seeing 27 and 32 side by side.

“What the fuck?” He whispered, and before he even knew what was going on, he was falling to the floor, paper swaying in the air and landing around him.

He just had a confused look, turning up to whoever he’d ran into “My bad, mate. It’s my first day.” 

Louis was met with green eyes that looked almost terrified as he tried to hand over the stack of papers he’d just picked up from around him after standing. He scrunched his nose when the curly headed lad took the paper and hurried down the hall in silence. 

“Not even a thank you?” He thought out loud, turning back around to see an empty hallway. The bell rang, and his eyes rolled. Shit.

He ended up in the office, having to get a tardy slip. It still took him a few minutes. but eventually he found room 18, handing the wadded up piece of yellow paper to the woman standing at the front of the room. He just muttered out the fact he was a new student, folding and tucking his schedule in his pocket before plopping down into an empty seat at the back of the room.

Louis simply took out his yellow journal with ‘history’ scribbled in on the the front with a pen that was clearly running low on ink, the markings digging into the soft cardboard and imprinting the first page. 

He hurried to copy everything on the board in front of him, though he was sure he’d missed the first few slides of the powerpoint, and most likely the beginning of the lesson last week, because truth be told, Louis had no idea what he was writing about.

Eventually, the teacher was out of slides, and worksheets were being handed out. Louis looked through his notes, getting a few answers, but soon enough he found himself stuck on half of the questions he was looking at. 

Louis just looked around, noticing a familiar head of curls sitting in front of him. He reached forwards, tapping on the boys shoulder. Louis simply received a shrug, tilting his head a bit as he tapped once more. 

This time, the boy turned around, meeting Louis’ eyes with his green ones.

That got a smile on Louis’ face. He hated being ignored. “Hey..uh..” He leaned forwards, looking at the boys paper and reading the name off of the top “Harry, is it? Do you think you could help me with a few of these?”

Harry just took his bottom lip between his teeth, swallowing hard and shaking his head before turning back to face his own work. 

That caught Louis a bit off guard, and he scoffed, turning to the blonde on his right. “Hey..i’ll give you a bag of crisps for the answers..”

“What kind?” 

“I believe they’re barbecue lays..”

Louis’ paper disappeared from his desk, the scratching of a pencil quickly circling answer choices being heard. 

He nodded at the blonde when getting his paper back, pulling a bag out his backpack and tossing it into the others lap “Pleasure doing business with you.” 

Niall gave a grin, putting the crisps away into his own backpack “The name’s Horan, Niall Horan.” He muttered

“And i’m Bond, James Bond.” Louis chuckled, trying to keep quiet before shaking his head “But, my names Louis. I’ve just moved here and i’m pretty sure your name is the first one i’ve learned. Congrats. What’s your next class?”

“Athletics.”

“Oh, gross..i think i’ve just made friends with a sweaty jock.”

Niall stifled his laughter, giving a small shrug “I guess you have, and i’ve made friends with the short new kid.” 

That got an eye roll “Oh my god...i can’t have people here calling me short already. It hasn’t even been an hour.” The bell rang and everyone stood, going to the front and handing in papers “Ok..so maybe it has been an hour..but that’s besides the point.” He mumbled, handing his worksheet in as well before heading off to his next class.

He was quite proud of himself when he found it within thirty seconds, but that was mostly due to it being directly across the hall. 

The next few hours just drug by, each class seeming impossibly longer than the last, especially without anyone to talk to. If there was one thing that hadn’t changed at all with Louis throughout his 17 years on earth, it was the fact he could talk a deaf mans ears off.

Lunch came around and Louis made that rather clear as he looked around the cafeteria with his tray in hand, glancing around and seeing a familiar smile tapping a saved seat. 

He just let out a small sigh of relief at the fact he wouldn’t be stuck in the toilets or by the trash bin that afternoon, plopping himself down beside Niall and giving a friendly grin 

“Hey.” Niall spoke, Louis opening his juice and taking a sip before he could answer 

“Hey.” Louis repeated, getting a small chuckle out of Niall. How was that funny? He just shrugged it off, turning to the other pair at the table. One of them had light brown hair, and fuck, was he ripped, but his smile was golden. Teddy bear in disguise, it seemed.

He then looked to study the other, he looked like he’d had a lot more in common with Louis than the other two chatting. He had black hair, a bit of stubble perfectly cutting his cheekbones and making his jaw look sharper than it already was. Louis couldn’t help but feel a bit intimidated, looking back down and lazily picking at his mashed potatoes with a spork. 

Niall noticed the silence, clearing his throat to get the attention at the table “Liam, Zayn, this is Louis. He’s in my history class and he offered me crisps for the answers, so I guess that makes us mates.” He shrugged. 

Liam just gave a nod, turning in Louis’ direction “Wow, you’re lucky you knew the way to Niall’s heart...his stomach.” He laughed, and Louis couldn’t help but smile along with them. 

The trio talked throughout their lunch period, Louis slowly finding himself more comfortable in the group, letting himself say more than a small ‘yeah’ as the other two bantered. 

Zayn seemed pretty quiet himself, doing the same as Louis did at first, throwing in a few words or a joke when he could. 

All too soon, the bell rang for lunch to end, and Louis was giving them all small waves goodbye as he dumped his tray into the garbage bin. 

He turned around, going to make way to his fifth period, a smile creeping up on his face when he was met with a pair of green eyes once more.” 

“Oi, Harry wasn’t it? Looks like we meet again, mate.”

Silence.

Louis gave an exaggerated pout, staring up at Harry with a tinge of confusion in his expression “Huh..you’re awful chatty, aren’t you? If you don’t like me, you can just say something, you know.” 

Harry let his lips part, though his jaw was clenched behind them. He navigated himself around Louis, dumping out his tray and hurrying down the hallway. 

Louis just stared in front of himself, the curly haired boy gone. He just sat there for a moment, wondering if he had said something wrong. Maybe Harry was upset Louis ran into him that morning, but it wasn’t like he did it on purpose. He’d have to apologize once he saw him again.

...

The rest of the school day went by surprisingly smooth, Louis finding his classes a bit easier now, learning where each room was and how they were numbered. He got through the rest of his classes with ease, most of the teachers giving the other students work as they tried to fill Louis in. 

Once the final bell rang, Louis slung his backpack over his shoulder, whistling quietly as he pulled his keys out of his pocket and made way to his car. 

Now, Louis’ family wasn’t rich or anything, but upper-middle class summed it up pretty well. He wasn’t cruising around in a sports car or anything like that, he had a 2018 black Honda Civic, and he’d become quite comfortable with it.

He climbed into drivers seat, sticking the keys in the ignition and letting out a small hum as the air conditioner kicked in. Louis buckled himself up, heading home. His house was about ten minutes away from the school...well, maybe it was five minutes and he made a few wrong turns, but no one had to know that. 

Once he pulled up into the driveway, he unbuckled, taking his keys and climbing out the car. He figured he’d just leave his backpack in the passengers seat for the night, he wasn’t given any homework or anything, and that was a huge relief. 

He made way inside, pulling his phone out of his pocket and holding it to his side as he gave his mom a hug, answering her many, many questions about his first day of school. As he headed upstairs, he heard her saying dinner would be ready in around an hour and half or so, prompting him to give a thumbs up behind his back. 

He got into his room, belly flopping onto the mess of a tangled comforter and sheet sitting on top his bed. Louis glances at the boxes in his room, deciding he’d work on unpacking and decorating this weekend. 

He went through instagram, seeing a few new people pop up in his follow suggestions, and all the profile pictures seemed vaguely familiar. He must’ve seen the people at school today, either during class or in between them. 

He followed several new accounts that night, then went on to watching a few youtube videos until he got called down to dinner. 

The night was simple, and everyone seemed to be adjusting to their new surroundings just fine. They all ate at the table, striking up conversation before everyone was full and tired. 

Everyone went their separate ways once again, the house going quiet by ten o’clock. 

Moving in, school, work, things like that, it was a lot to prepare for in one weekend, but Louis was a bit proud of himself for managing it all as well as he did. 

He had dreaded moving, but he already had a table at lunch, a friend to mess with in history..and maybe someone who hated him, but Louis didn’t care about that too much. He’d already had his mind made.

He was going to like it here.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis tries to break the silence, but for obvious, or maybe not so obvious reasons, that doesn’t sit too well with Harry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, uh,, this is two days after i’ve posted the first part that i’m writing this and i know it’s nothing too big, but that part already has 8 kudos and like,, 5 bookmarks?? wow. that’s,, wild. This is my first time every really taking writing ‘seriously’ or whatever you wanna call it,i guess, so really, ty :) <3 it means a lot to me.
> 
> also sorry if this is,,terrible. It’s 2:30 am rn, and i’ve decided to write.

The night had went by pretty smoothly, Louis fell asleep without problem. The fact he was in a new house didn’t bother him too much, and the fact he already knew he wasn’t going to be the outcast for the rest of year did help him relax. 

The morning was a different story, though. His alarm had went off and Louis didn’t even open his eyes to swipe away the notification for an extra ten minutes of sleep. That wasn’t too big of a deal, but he managed to do it two more times without his snores even stopping.

“Louis! Breakfast!” 

That got his eyes open “Okay! I’ll be down in a few!” Why was breakfast ready so early? He usually had awhile before his mum was calling him down for...shit. 

That’s when he realized his ‘five extra minutes of shut eye’ had turned into a nap that somehow managed to last half an hour, even though it felt like all he did was blink. 

Louis tossed his comforter to the side, his leg getting wrapped up and making him trip,  
landing right on his head

“Ow..” he groaned, rubbing his head for a  
moment, but he was quick to decide he could just get over it and ice it later if he managed to get a knot poking out the side of his head.

He stumbled around, hopping over to his closet and pulling several pairs of jeans out of a box, deciding on a dark blue pair with a frayed left knee. Louis went to tug them on, his foot getting stuck in the hole and making him roll his eyes before he finally got them on. 

He glanced down at the nirvana tee he had slept in, tie dye bleached and the black faded into a deep grey. Pinching the collar and bringing it up to his nose, he sniffed. Huh. Not too bad. Onto socks.

Soon enough, a pair of black no shows were sliding onto his feet, black vans following afterwards. He got into his bathroom still tugging one of them on, looking up to the mirror. Thank god he wasn’t having a bad hair day, too. All he had to do was run his fingers through his hair, mumbling a quick something to himself as he put on deodorant. Louis placed it back on his counter, leaving the bathroom and tucking his phone in his back pocket, snatching his keys off his nightstand (which was currently a box filled with things that had went on his actual nightstand before they’d moved) as well.

He closed his door as he left his room, nearly tripping down half the stairs when he missed a step, but he was lucky enough to catch the rail. 

Once he got down, Louis just sat with everyone else, making his plate and starting to eat. He looked at everyone, noticing full mouths, which made it pretty hard for anyone to object as he began to talk about his first day to his mum, who had already heard, but his step dad and his siblings hadn’t gotten the pleasure.

Five minutes in, Lottie turned to him from the other side of the table, tossing over a strawberry half “We get it, you made a friend for the first time, and you’re butthurt some kid you ran into decided to ignore you. I’d do the same.”

Louis rolled his eyes “Three friends, actually. I hear jealously..” He hummed, the corners of his lips curling up as he took a sip of the glass of orange juice in front of himself. “And i don’t care that he’s ignoring me, i care that he won’t tell me why. Yeah, i bumped into him, but i picked his shit up-“ 

“Language!” Jay warned, her eyebrows threading together.

“My bad..i picked up his stuff for him afterwards, and i apologized, though i’m not too sure he heard that part, so i’m apologizing today at breakfast.” 

Lottie just nodded, going along with it to get Louis to zip his lips as she finished breakfast. 

Louis finished pretty soon after, he only had some scrambled eggs and toast, not bothering with the fruit and bacon his mother had made, so the twins went in for it. 

“Thank you, mum.” Louis spoke as he stood, walking to the sink and rinsing off his dishes before lying them in the sink “I’m off for the day, see you this afternoon.” He smiled, making way over and leaning down, giving his mum a hug. He always had been a bit of a mamas boy. 

Louis climbed in his car that morning with relief, happy he had somehow managed to get himself ready in time without pulling a muscle. He twisted the keys in the ignition, heading off to school.

...

Harry’s morning was the same as every other one, his alarm going off, prompting him to quickly sit up and shut it off before his step father could come yell at him for waking him up with all the noise coming out of his room. 

He took in a sharp breath and froze as the mattress in the other room squeaked, fear rushing through him that he’d woken the man. He sighed in relief when there was no noise after that. Rob had probably just turned around in his sleep. 

A shirt was coming off the hanger and over Harry’s head just a minute later, a plain white tee, followed by a pair of skinny jeans making way up to his waist. He buttoned them, slipping on some ankle socks and high top white converse before tip-toeing to the living room. 

Harry went to the kitchen and downed a bottle of water, trying to relive some of scratching on the inside of his throat without having to clear it. He couldn’t risk it being too loud. 

He listened to himself gulp, savoring the first moment the liquid slid down his throat, appreciating every cooling sip that gave him relief from the words that were burning his vocal cords and starting a fire in his mouth.

As soon as he placed the now empty bottle in the trash can, he took his backpack from the slouching state it was in beside the door to over his shoulder. He messed with the end of the strap lazily, looking at his phone for the time before he stepped outside and began his walk to school.

He was lucky he only lived a couple blocks away, he had no idea how he would get a ride or anything like that. It wasn’t like he was going to ask anyone anytime soon. 

Gemma would always drive him when he was still in junior high, and he always appreciated the small conversations she’d have with them on the way there and back home. Gemmas car was always a safe place, the a/c buzzing and light music coming out of the speaker, and she always turned it down when Harry opened his mouth to say something. 

He always felt bad now when she called and began to speak, receiving nothing but light breathing from the his end. 

“I miss your voice, Harry. You’ve grown, i bet it’s even nicer now. Maybe you could hit a few of those notes without your voice cracking when you sing..If you tried.. Don’t you think?” 

That was always when he ended the call, tears burning angrily at the corners of Harry’s eyes just thinking about it on the walk to school. 

He rubbed his eyes and shook his head, nails digging into his palms as he walked inside the school, going through the breakfast line and sitting down at his usual seat in the corner of the cafeteria, lazily picking at his food and drinking his milk through the straw. He kept his head down, watching his leg bounce. He was so focused on what was going on under the table, he didn’t notice Louis sitting down across from him until he spoke. 

“Good morning, Harry.” Louis smiled, watching as nervous green eyes slowly came to meet his blue ones. 

“So..i started school here yesterday, and met you yesterday, cool, yeah?”

Silence. 

“Ok..well, i also...ran into you in the hallway yesterday. Strange coincidence, isn’t it? I’m just happy i didn’t hurt you or anything. I remember apologizing, but I was wondering if you remember it as well? Or did you disappear to quick?” Louis chuckled, and he expected at least a smile back, maybe at least a few words of reassurance, but he didn’t get any of that. Harry had the same wavering lip and round eyes as he did when he noticed Louis. Maybe he just always looked like that, just how some people always look mad, but Harry always looked like a mix between flustered and scared. 

Louis sighed, giving a small eye roll and talking under his breath, yet loud enough for Harry to hear “Chatty, aren’t we?” and that prompted Harrys nails to dig into the flesh on the balls of his hands again under that table. 

“If you hate me or something, you can just tell me. Don’t stress it. Do you have a strict no cheating policy or whatever and i offended you by asking you for answers class yesterday? I’m sorry about that too, if that’s the reason you’re giving me the silent treatment, i just got a bit stuck. I think i left my old school just before we started the lesson you are all in the midst of.” 

Harrys lips parted, and he looked as if he was about to reply, but he just brought his juice up to his lips before tapping them once with the side of his pointer finger. 

Louis didn’t even catch the small symbol Harry tried to give him, just sighing soft “Wow, how rude, talking over me. I can’t even get a word out.” He joked, and Harry felt like he was reliving earlier that morning, the familiar feeling of tears burning at his eyes before they finally cooled once they ran down his cheeks. 

“Are you..are you crying?” Louis asked his eyes going wide “Oh my god..did i make you cry?” He was we frozen, glued to his seat as Harry stood and dumped out his tray, making way off to the nurses office and furiously wiping his eyes. 

Louis’ legs finally decided that they did in fact know how to move, and he felt his heart drop from its place in his chest down to his feet. He couldn’t believe he’d made the boy cry, and he really didn’t understand why. 

He looked over to where Niall and Liam were sitting, Niall giving a disappointed look as Louis slung his bag over his shoulder and made way over “Do you have any idea what all that was about?” 

He received a scoff “No, i don’t. What were you picking on the poor guy for?” 

What? Picking on him? All Louis tried to do was apologize to him, not make it where he owed him yet another. 

Niall picked up on the confused look, his face falling “Oh..you really don’t know, do you? No ones told you yet?” 

“No ones told me anything, that’s the problem!” He exclaimed, sitting down beside Niall. 

“Harry...he’s something else, mate. No ones heard him talk since freshman year started. It was strange. Eight grade and before then, he wasn’t obnoxious, but the kid liked to talk a bit, but who doesn’t like to hear themselves ramble every now and then? But..he started getting quieter, and all the teachers accepted it as a blessing, while the rest of us thought that was just him being boring. We came back after the summer leading up to highschool, and it was like someone took his voice away. He’s just silent, now. Not even a peep or a hum. No one knows what to do about it, we can’t exactly ask him why. The chances of getting an answer out of him are probably the same as getting struck by lighting on a wendsday morning while you’re eating a biscuit.” He shrugged. 

Louis didn’t say anything for the entire story, and it was strange, he was never the listening type, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything until Niall was finished. 

“Oh..” 

And before Niall could say anything else, Louis was making way down the hallway and looking for a plaque that said ‘Nurse’. 

...

Harry was sat in the nurses office, tapping his foot quickly as he wiped his eyes with a paper towel, sitting on the side of one of the beds. 

The nurse didn’t even ask Harry what had happened, she just gave him a small nod when he walked in, scribbling some words down on a nurses pass before handing it to Harry, and he didn’t even bother to read it. 

Soon, there was a small knock, and Louis was standing in the door frame, giving the nurse a small smile “Hey, i know i’m a new face, but i just came to check on him.” Louis mumbled, then sat himself down on the other bed. 

The clock was loud, too loud. The nurse typing, as well. The silence was driving Louis crazy. 

“Uhm..Niall explained to me..” He admitted, taking his bottom lip between his teeth “And i’m sorry. I would’ve just shut up if i would’ve known. Honestly, i just thought you were trying to make a point that you hated my guts or something, so i was just trying to joke around to lighten the mood..” 

For the first time, Louis got some kind of response out of Harry, his tears dry as he gave one long blink. He opened his eyes to find Louis sitting in front of him, a smile on his face. 

“I’ll take it. Now, do you think we can restart?” 

Tick tock, tick tock tick tock. 

The damned clock a again. 

Louis eventually took in a harsh breath, nodding soft and taking Harrys hand to shake. 

“Nice to meet you too, Harry. I’m Louis Tomlinson. I can’t wait till we’re best friends and i can tell you all my secrets, just as long as you promise to keep your lips sea-“ Harry was staring right at him, burning holes in his skin, Louis pausing in the midst of his words “Sorry.”


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis couldn’t shake the fact he made Harry cry out of his head. It broke his heart, really. He didn’t even mean any harm, all he wanted was to make a friend, so he decided that he was going to do just that. 
> 
> A silent phone call, a one sided text conversation, and a car ride over to harry’s later, Louis is pretty sure he’s on the road to success..too bad there’s a wreck up ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi i started school!! so my updates are gonna get really spotty ;( sorry. i’m trying! also,, sorry if this sucks i can’t write idk this is dumb

Louis found himself adjusting into the new school pretty well. Turns out, Niall was kind of near the top of the food chain. Once you sat with him, no one was going to really bother you. Louis was just happy his mum had insisted on him bringing that bag of crisp incase he didn’t like the lunch.

Within the first couple weeks, he wasn’t ‘known’ or anything like that around school, but he wasn’t exactly a nobody either. Louis was sure he’d found his perfect place there. 

He had gotten himself sent out of class on multiple occasions for joking around with Niall, but then they’d just carry on in the hall, snickering and trying to stifle their laughter. 

He’d also found himself making a habit of pulling at Harry’s curls when he’d finished his work early, and after about a week or so, he didn’t get his hand swatted away, though he did miss Harry’s slight scowl when he would turn around. 

He’d invite Harry to sit with them at least a couple times a week, and the answer was always the same, a small head shake, then the sound of harry’s shoe tapping the ground as he nervously bounced his leg. 

Those were the days Louis would turn to Niall, pointing to Harry and giving a small nod. That was all Niall needed anymore to know Louis wouldn’t be sitting at their table that day. He’d be off blabbering to Harry that afternoon rather than actually eating. 

Harry would always notice, looking down at Louis’ tray and motion to the food, giving a gentle pout. 

“Well, I can’t stop to eat, then i’d be quiet and you’d start talking and never stop. You always interrupt me like that.” 

Harry had started to smile at the jokes Louis would make. Louis had helped him found the humor in them, though he still didn’t laugh. He didn’t want to be too loud and have Louis hate him. He couldn’t have Louis hate him. 

Louis was the only one to ever stick with Harry for more than a day since Gemma had left. Everyone else shrugged him off as weird or just boring. 

Plus, Harry would miss all of Louis’ little stories and such. Lunches with him had become Harrys favorite part of the day. Louis would ramble on, and Harry would simply listen. He loved watching the corner of his lips curl up as he went on about his day or something that had happened when he was younger. 

The lunch room was always loud, and it made Harry nervous, but Louis had a way of drowning them out. Everything was quiet except for Louis’ accent flying into his ears. 

“Can i see your phone?”

And as if a flip was switched, all Harry could see was Louis’ mouth moving, the sound of at least a hundred other students in the cafeteria drowning him out. 

“I know you’re not going to text..or call me..” Louis mumbled, taking Harry’s phone and looking at his number, putting it into his own and naming the contact ‘harry :)’ 

“So, i’ll text you sometime.” 

The switch apparently got flipped again, and Harry just let a quiet ring take over as he read Louis’ lips, giving him a small nod and a lazy thumbs up. 

Everyone stood, including Louis, and Harry’s brows furrowed as he looked around. 

“That was the bell. Don’t tell me you’re deaf after i’ve been talking to you for a month.” 

Harry just let a small smile take over his features, standing and walking with Louis to throw his tray away before they parted ways. 

...

The rest of the week went by pretty quick, Louis ate with Harry for the rest of the week, and he never ran out of things to say. The conversation seemed one sided to the others watching them, but to Louis, it was everything but that. 

Harry always reacted one way or another during their conversations. A smile, a nod, tapping his ear to ask Louis to speak up or repeat, or even nibbling at the inside of his lip when he started to get overwhelmed. 

Louis knew Harry felt bad about not saying anything back, so he learned what the signals meant, learned how Harry communicated. He’d always switch the subject when Harry when to chewing the rim of his mouth. Usually something that made it so Harry really didn’t have to respond. That always helped him settle a bit, and he hoped the small reassurances that Harry didn’t need to reply helped, too. 

Friday night came along, and Harry was sitting on his bed, watching a muted T.V with subtitles as he tried to tune out the game his stepdad was watching downstairs. 

He had his knees bent up to rest his chin on, lazily tangling his feet together. Harry couldn’t stand sitting still. 

Buzz 

He turned to his phone, furrowing his brows as he reached across the bed and looked at the notification. He’d gotten a text from who he could only assume was Louis thanks to the message that had been sent. ‘Hey, it’s Louis.’ didn’t exactly leave a mystery to be solved. 

Harry smiled at it. He hadn’t expected Louis to actually bother messaging him. 

He didn’t really know what to do, Harry wasn’t one to text, either. He’d type out something stupid and Louis would ignore him. He couldn’t have that happening. 

He felt bad for it, but he just stared at the screen for a couple minutes, leaving Louis on read, and it seemed Louis picked up on that, because soon enough those three dots where at the bottom of his screen. 

Soon enough, a message popped up to replace them. ‘You’re not one for texting, either? That’s fine. Maybe we can facetime sometime and it’ll be just like lunch. We’ll eat our after school snacks together.’ 

Harry grinned, pulling his phone a bit closer as he went to edit Louis’ contact, just putting the emoji with the hand over its mouth. He thought it was funny. 

His phone buzzed again 

‘Actually, why not just hang out in let’s say..30 minutes? I can pick you up and order a pizza. It’ll be on its way by the time we get back to my place.’

Harry’s heart started beating faster and his breath got caught in his throat. Was Louis asking to hang out with him? Him?! 

His hands were shaking and Harry just went to safari, typing his address into maps before sending the link. 

‘I’ll take that as a yes, Styles. i’ll be there in 10. just be waiting outside so i know i’m at the right place.’ 

Harry turned off his T.V, looking at the time. It was 10:30, and he prayed his stepdad had fallen asleep in his recliner. 

He stood, closing his eyes tight as the bed gave a small squeak, digging his nails into his palms before letting out a small sigh when he didn’t hear anything from the living room other than the game. 

He slipped on a pair of sneakers, sliding out his bedroom door and going to close it, but he left it open just a crack. He didn’t want it clicking too loudly. 

Harry tip toed down the hallway, peeking through the opening and seeing the mans eyes closed. 

He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, opening the front door and stepping out without a single sound other than the soft click of the door. 

Harry just mentally scolded himself for it, wrapping an arm around himself as he made way to the end of the driveway, tapping his foot. 

Louis pulled up a few minutes later, giving Harry a smile through the window. The doors unlocked with a small sound that seemed like a ‘thunk.’ and Harry opened the passengers side. 

He closed the door as softly as possible, and he wasn’t even sure it actually closed, but the thunk of the doors locking again let him know he had. 

“I didn’t actually think you’d say yes to hanging out. Well..i didn’t think you’d say anything..but uh, you know what i mean.” 

Harry gave a small nod at that, buckling up. He looked at the interior, taking in a deep breath as he thought back to his car rides with Gemma. The music was playing soft, the a/c buzzing and blowing out a stream of cold air that helped settle his nerves. 

Louis made sure he stayed the speed limit despite the fact he was just about the only one on the neighborhood roads. He didn’t want to get Harry more worried than he seemed. 

“Anyways. I ordered the pizza, and it’s supposed to be there in..” He looked over at the clock “fourteen minutes, so the delivery man should be right down the street once we get inside.” 

Harry gave him a small thumbs up, just turning to look at Louis, watching as the muscles in his arm twitched each time he readjusted his grip on the steering wheel, his eyes flicking upwards when Louis would lick his lips. 

“Anyways.” Louis chimed, tugging Harry out of his thoughts. “I got two. One’s half cheese and half pepperoni, then i got half supreme and half sausage. I wasn’t sure what kind of pizza you liked, and i’m not too sure i would’ve gotten an answer if i asked.” He grinned “Oh, and some of those garlic and cheese bread sticks, and that brownie cookie thing they have? I don’t really know what to call it. All i know is i’ll have enough leftover pizza to feed me for a week” 

Harry’s face lit up as he looked down to his lap. He didn’t want to seem too excited, but he couldn’t help it. Louis really got all that just because he was coming over? Four different toppings just to make sure Harry would like it? 

He finally turned back to Louis and gave a nod, his smile warm, appreciative. His version of a thank you

“Don’t thank me, it’s nothing.”

Louis knew what Harry meant, and that just made him smile wider. Louis cared about him, didn’t he?

All too soon, Louis was pulling into the driveway and the music was gone, the a/c dying and the sounds of crickets chirping outside taking over. Harry began chewing at his bottom lip, and Louis couldn’t help but let his face fall in the slightest. 

“If you don’t want to come in, you don’t have to. I get it, you’re nervous, this is the first time we’ve hung out after school. Do you want me to take you back home?”

Harry was quick to shake his head at that, and instead he tapped on his seat, looking over at the radio. 

“Do you want to stay in the car?” He asked, turning the keys and starting the car back up. 

Harry was quick to nod, his lip slipping back out from between his teeth as the music and air came back to life. 

“Alright then. We can stay in the car. I’ll put my phone on the dashboard and it’ll be just like a drive-in movie.” Louis hummed “Well..not exactly, but it’s the thought that counts, isn’t it?” 

Harry pierced his lips to hold in a soft laugh, and he succeeded, keeping himself quiet. 

Headlights were seen making their way up the road, and Louis stepped out the car “I’ll be right back, i’m going to go get everything before he knocks on the door and the poor guy has to deal with my sisters.” He chuckled. 

The door shut with a slam, causing Harry to jump. He let out a startled sigh, looking around the car. He took in a deep breath of the air, letting the scent surround him. It was a mix of the febreeze plug-in Louis had on one of the vents, and the old fast food wrappers and boxes in the backseat.

He wasn’t exactly sure why, but he liked it. The atmosphere of the car just screamed Louis. The Script coming out the radio was filling in the silence, and Harry just tapped his fingers on his thigh along with it. 

It seemed like it took ages, but just a few minutes later Louis was climbing back into the car, placing a few boxes in between them “Your meal is served.” He smiled. 

“I got a two litre of sprite. You can drink out of the bottle if you want, i’ll be fine, unless you don’t really care about drinking after me, because to tell you the truth, pizza makes me thirsty.” He chuckled

Harry just shrugged, starting to mess with his hands. He wasn’t sure what to do. 

“Well? Go ahead and get a slice, i’m going to turn us on a movie.” 

He placed his phone on the dashboard, leaning back in his seat after putting on The Conjuring, and grabbed a slice out of the box himself. 

He turned to Harry, seeing him staring at the slice of supreme pizza in his hand. Louis had grabbed sausage for himself, taking a bite. 

“Harry, you don’t have to wait for me to eat. You’re fine.” He smiled, wiping his mouth as he swallowed. 

Harry seemed to snap out of it, turning up to Louis and weakly nodding as he finally took a bite, staring down at his feet. 

“So, supreme pizza is your thing, then? I’ll have to keep that in mind next time we hang out.”

Next time. Louis wanted there to be a next time. 

Harry nodded again, he did that a lot, and took another bite as he turned to watch the movie playing.

They ate in silence, passing the soda back and forth throughout the couple of hours. Louis would jump every now and then once something managed to him, and Harry would have to hold back a laugh each time. 

The time Louis somehow managed to hit his head on the top of the car, though, Harry couldn’t. 

All the silent giggles from the night had somehow built up, and they all bursted out of his mouth without giving him a chance to stop. 

It started off scratchy, scraping out of his throat and throwing itself out of Harry’s mouth. He tried to catch it, slapping his hand across his mouth and turning back to Louis. 

He sat there mentally scolding himself for letting his guard down, it was something about the car. He sat there reminding himself that he wasn’t with Gemma, he hadn’t been in a long time, and he’d just let out the loudest laugh and ruined absolutely everything. Louis probably hated him, thought his laugh was ugly or wanted to reach across and slap him for making noise during the movie. 

“It’s fine, Harry. Don’t worry, please..” 

But he couldn’t help it. He knew Louis wasn’t mad, that he wouldn’t hurt him, but tears were already burning into his skin on their way down his cheeks. 

“Oh..” 

Louis felt guilt settle through him “Okay..okay..i’ll take you home, i’ll take you home. Please don’t cry. You’re safe with me, Harry. I’m not going to make you talk or anything like that, but just know that i could never get mad at you or stop liking you just because you do.” 

Harry sniffled, wiping his face and giving a small nod, just staring out the window as clawed at his throat. 

Louis was already driving down the road, reaching over with one hand and taking Harry’s 

“Don’t do that, ok? You’re going to hurt yourself, Harry.” 

The hand Louis was holding squeezed onto his until he felt like all his bones would break, but he didn’t bother saying anything for once, just trying to help Harry out. His numb hand was worth it if it meant Harry wasn’t trying to rip out his vocal cords. 

When he pulled into Harry’s driveway, he didn’t even get a chance to say bye. Harry was tearing his hand away and and climbing out the car. He couldn’t even bring himself to close the door, he didn’t want to risk it slamming. 

Louis gasped quietly, his hand regaining its colour as the blood flowed back into his finger tips. He reached over and closed the door, and by the time he turned to Harry’s house, he was already inside. 

Louis made way back home, chewing on his nails the entire time as he muttered to himself. 

Harry had felt comfortable enough with him to let himself relax to the point he could let out a laugh, and now Louis was just scared the laugh had gotten rid of all the progress they’d made. He’d have to call Harry tomorrow and just cross his fingers he’d get an answer.


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok so i’m terrible at coming up with summary’s but basically harry won’t answer the phone or any texts so when monday rolls around louis sits with Harry at lunch and is just being sweet the whole time and he invites Harry over for dinner and harry being harry just wanting to make sure louis doesn’t hate him or anything says yes and then he ends up staying over and i dunno i’m so sorry this is so ugly i still can’t write.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!! the desc sucks i’m sorry but basically i’m trying really hard to update this every weekend because school ew

Six ignored calls and four seen texts later, Louos finally sighed, leaning back onto his bed and hiding his face in his pillow. 

He’d refused breakfast this morning, a layer of oil still slicking up the roof of his mouth from last nights pizza. 

Louis had been in his room all day, leaving messages to Harry and trying to assure him, and after an hour of debating on hitting send, he admitted that he found Harrys laugh rather nice. He just crossed his fingers that he didn’t make it even worse.

It was the truth, though. 

All he’d ever heard from Harry was maybe a small exhale when he tried to hold in his chuckles once Louis told a joke, or the sound of his breath catching in his throat when Louis’ fingers lazily twirled into the boys curls. 

He sucked his bottom lip in between his teeth and decided to turn on a movie. He browsed through Netflix for a good few minutes before deciding on the great british bake off. (He always watched it on Lottie and Fizzy’s profile so no one would know.)

That was just about how he spent the day, those twenty seconds between episodes letting his mind drift off to worry for Harry, but his head cleared once he heard ‘bread week.’

...

Harry had been too scared to even go inside the night before, so he was still lying on the rooftop that morning when his stepdad went off to work. He heard the garage door opening, sucking in a small gasp as he scrambled to hide behind the chimney. 

It seemed as he succeeded once he listened to the rumble of the wheels on the pavement and light roar of the engine fade. 

Harry swallowed, his throat tighter than usual. The laugh had forced itself out, and Harry swore it somehow managed to scrape his vocal cords. 

He lazily rubbed his adam’s apple before getting himself on the fence to climb down into the front yard. 

From there, he went to get inside, but the door knob would barely even budge. Harry just rolled his eyes and let his chest deflate as he walked himself around to the gate. 

He got inside the backyard, being met with a loud purr once the gate clicked. Harry turned down to his feet, a smile big enough to show off his dimples stretching across his face. 

He reached down for the cat walking circles around his ankles, picking her up and lazily scratching behind her ears, along with a few pets down to her tail. 

He loved dusty, she was one of the things keeping him going. 

Harry checked her water and food, and they were both about half way full. He’d have to refill them both before school tomorrow. 

He looked at the back door, then back to the cat in his arms. His stepdad was gone, so what was wrong with having her in the house?

Well, she was a house cat, but there had been times she’d been meowing a bit too loudly to be fed or jumped up on his stepdads lap when he wasn’t exactly in the mood for dealing with the animal, and each interaction like that ended in threats to get rid of her. Harry wouldn’t allow that, so he usually let her walk around and stay in the backyard when the weather allowed for it. 

She loved chasing the butterflies, anyways. 

He let her go before sliding open the back door, and dusty was quick to rush inside. Harry came in afterwards, snapping his fingers gently to gave her follow.

The cat made a small mewl, pitter pattering after Harry, her steps some how louder than his, no matter how light on her feet she seemed. 

Dusty ran in front of him into his room, already finding herself a place on his pillow before he could even get in the door. 

He just gave her silent praises in the back of his head, sitting down beside the cat and refusing to stop petting her as he flicked on the tv, making sure it was muted. 

Harry allowed himself to sink into the bed, selecting the great british bake off on his netflix list. It began to play and he imagined everyone’s voices in his head. Paul Hollywood’s was rather deep, almost like Elvis with an accent, and Mary Berry’s was small, a bit shaky as she announced to the contestants that it was once again bread week.

...

The school bell was loud the next morning, the sounds of sneakers dragging on the freshly waxed floors in the halls. Every locker slam echoed and led to another. Harry was surrounded by all the noise, constantly flicking his eyes around to make sure none of it was being blamed on him. 

“Hey.”

All of a sudden, silence. The only thing managing to slip into his ears was a gentle rasp. 

Harry slowly turned, meeting Louis’ light smile and refusing to return it.

Louis’ voice was like a soft melody, smooth with that hint of edge, just enough to make it interesting, addicting. He didn’t realize how much he’d missed Louis’ voice until he heard it again. 

“Harry? I was just, wondering if you were alright. I’m sorry..? I don’t know, i’ve just felt bad for making you cry..again..” 

Harry gave a small head shake, his nose scrunching up. He gave a weak smile, and Louis accepted it as reassurance. 

They each made way to class, and as usual, the sound of pencils marking up papers was interrupted by Louis’ and Niall’s snickering. 

Louis’ finger was tangled in one of Harry’s curls when the teacher finally snapped at them both to be quiet, and for once, Louis actually agreed. He could tell how Harry was gently leaning back into the touch, but he didn’t say anything about it. Harry probably didn’t even realize he was doing it. 

The class ended, and Louis found himself with a pout, twirling his pencil between his fingers in his next classes. 

Once lunch rolled around, Louis walked by his usual table, (though he usually didn’t sit there, anyways. Louis was sitting next to Harry every day now.) and tossed a bag of crisps down in front of Niall. It had become part of his routine, really. 

Louis say himself beside Harry after he’d bought himself a lunch, taking a sip of his soda before he turned up to Harry. 

“You’re coming over today, and you’re going to stay for dinner.” Louis decided. 

Panic was an understatement when trying to describe the expression on Harry’s face. His eyes went wide, and his lips parted just enough to let out wheezes that were barely even audible. 

“Hey, hey don’t worry..I’ve already told them all about you, they’ll understand, plus, it’s not like you’d get a chance to talk without getting interrupted anyways.” He smiled, giving an assuring nod as one of his fingers began to swirl through Harry curls. 

His features softened relaxed. Harry took a deep breath and just shut his eyes with a small nod. Louis had...told his family about him. He’d talked about Harry, maybe even gave compliments that he’d never actually hear because Louis was to afraid to actually give them. His stomach may or may not have felt full of butterflies at the thought. He almost wished he had dusty around to get rid of them. 

“Poor thing, Louis has Harry wrapped around his finger..” Liam mumbled, and Niall turned to look with a mouth full of cheddar lays. 

“Oh come on, Louis likes him, anyways. It’ll all work out.” Niall assured, though his voice did waver when Zayn interrupted.

“You don’t think Louis actually likes him, do you? Hell, you’ve seen him tease the guy. He’s just taking advantage and trying to make himself look good.” He scoffed. 

Niall shook his head at that. He knew Louis, he was a good guy, yeah? 

...

The final bell had rang, and Harry headed outside, staring down at the beaten up sneakers on his feet, then looking around to see Louis jingling his keys as he stood to the side of his car. 

Harry looked both ways, then made way over, giving a small smile as he climbed into the now opened passengers side door. He gave a slow blink, then turned to the front windshield, messing with his hands. 

“You’re welcome.” Louis hummed. He always seemed to know what Harry meant now a days. 

Louis went around after closing the door, plopping down into the drivers side and twisting the keys into the ignition.

The car roared, and Harry settled into the seat. The soft linen scent of the car air freshener and the buzz of a song he didn’t know giving him a strange sense of peace. 

“Already told my mum I was having a guest, so i bet she’s going to make enough to feed the entire family for three days.” 

Harry turned with a soft grin covering his face, and he stayed just like that as Louis watched the road, rambling on about how school had went and how he’d completely bombed his maths test. 

They pulled into the driveway, and Louis kept the car running as he turned over to Harry “Are you ready to go in?” He asked, his voice soft, letting Harry know it was alright if he wasn’t. 

He was surprised at the small nod he received, but he was more than glad. 

“Good, now i won’t be scolded for bringing dishes out to my car.” He laughed, finally taking the keys and shoving them in his back pocket.

Louis climbed out the car, and within seconds he was at Harry’s now opened door with his hand out. 

Harry reached up, taking Louis’ hand and standing. He shut his own door, looking over his shoulder with a teasing smile and fluttering eyelashes. 

“I am quite a gentleman, aren’t i?” Louis joked, catching onto the one Harry was trying to make.

The pair made way to the front door, and Louis stepped in, letting his fingers untangle from Harry’s. 

He seemed a bit unsure without the hand resting in his own, bringing it to his side and shoving it in his pocket. 

Harry promised to keep his head up, nails digging into the soft flesh of his palm as he heard a hoard of footsteps. 

Before Louis could even open his mouth to give a warning, there were two...three girls standing in front of him? He would’ve thought he was seeing double if Louis hadn’t brought up his twin sisters in a conversation a couple weeks ago. 

“These are my sisters, Fizzy’s off on a school trip..” Louis breathed, his eyes falling to his feet

Harry just nodded, quickly turning as he heard a pair of voices that sounded identical to one another. 

“I’m Phoebe.”  
“And i’m Daisy.” 

They smiled, and Harry didn’t exactly know how to react, just inching that much closer to Louis. 

“Why don’t you two go help mum set the table, yeah?” 

One scoffed, Harry couldn’t remember which one.  
“We’re not children, Lou. Don’t talk to us like we are.” But as they were asked, they made way to the kitchen and began setting the table. 

The third one, she was older, and she looked to Harry with a kind smile. “I’m Charlotte, but they all call me Lottie. It’s nice to meet you, and i’m sorry they were such a hassle, really. They talk more than Louis..would you believe that?” 

“Hey!”

And Harry let out a soft breath through his nose, a wide smile on his face. 

“I’m getting bullied over here, it’s not a laughing matter.” Louis joked, turning to the kitchen “Cmon, dinner seems like it’s just about ready.”

The three of them were soon walking to the dining room, Harry practically hiding behind Louis’ shoulder before Louis sat down. He pulled out the seat next to him before giving it a pat “Cmon, there’s no spikes or anything like that.” 

Harry smiled at the remark, sitting down as everyone else seemed to gather at the table, looking up as the woman he assumed to be Louis’ mum sitting out a large tray of pork chops, along with sides like mashed potatoes and some corn. There were rolls brought in by one of the twins and a bowl of macaroni salad carried by the other. 

Harry’s eyes were wide as he looked at the table full of food, if his mum ever cooked a meal it was rarely more than a hamburger and some frozen french fries.

Johannah gave Harry a friendly smile, sitting down at the table along with everyone else.  
“Nice to meet you, Harry. I think i’ve heard everything i could about you. Louis isn’t really one to stop talking unless his mouth is full.” She teased, looking over to Louis, who was rolling his eyes.

“Mum, please..” He complained, and Jo just laughed 

“I’m not doing any harm.” She smiled, looking back to Harry “Well? Don’t be shy, go ahead and make your plate, darling.” 

Harry watched as everyone stabbed their forks into the pork chops and got spoonfuls of potatoes on their plates, swallowing thick and taking a sip of his water. 

He turned to Louis, looking just about helpless. 

“Don’t worry, it’s fine.” Louis assures, switching his already made plate out with Harry’s, just starting to pile more food into his new one. 

Harry waited till Louis had atleast taken a couple bites to take one of his own, and..wow. The food in his mouth was the best food he’d ever tried. He smiled, turning to Jo and giving a thumbs up, a smile on his face. 

Soon enough, he was absolutely digging in, eating heaping spoonfuls of macaroni salad and mashed potatoes just about as quickly as he could without choking.

Louis was staring at Harry with his mouth hanging open, giving a gentle chuckle.

“I think he likes the food, mum.” 

Harry froze, looking up at everyone and swallowing thick, giving a wavering smile. 

Everyone’s eyes were on their plates, excepts for Louis’ and Jo’s, of course. 

The twins were too busy arguing over the last roll, and Lottie was currently grabbing it for herself with a small grin “Problem solved.”

Harry set his fork down, taking another drink and appreciating the small ice chunk he was chewing on.

Once Louis had finished, he stood, taking both of their now empty plates. Harry just followed along, pushing in his chair and making way behind Louis into the kitchen. 

Louis put both plates in the sink, rinsing them quickly before announcing to Jo that they were going to his room. She gave a soft nod, watching as the pair climbed up stairs. 

Louis stepped back for Harry to walk in his room, and he did just that, making way inside and standing in the middle of the room and chewing his bottom lip. 

Louis stepped in afterwards, closing the door and plopping down onto the bed. “TV?” He asked, patting the area beside him as he turned the tv on once he got a nod. 

Harry sat beside him, kicking his shoes off before hand. He turned up to the screen, a smile stretching onto his face as he watched a man on the TV complain about his dough hadn’t risen. 

Louis’ face turned red and his eyes went wide. “You saw absolutely nothing!” He exclaimed, but Harry just shook his head and turned to the show, taking the remote and placing it on the other side of him. 

Louis just looked confused, but he soon settled into a smile “You watch it too?” 

Harry just gave a nod, along with a warm smile as he leaned himself over on Louis’ shoulder, covering his mouth to suppress his yawn as much as possible. 

Louis looked down to him, trying to keep his face from turning pink again as he wrapped an arm around Harry. “Tired? Do you want me to take you home?”

Harry’s head quickly shook, and he just hid his face in Louis’ collar bone. He listened as Paul Hollywood’s voice filled the room, and it was strange. Harry hadn’t imagined it to be as smooth as it was. 

Louis nodded and leaned back so Harry could get himself comfortable, rubbing small, lazy circles on Harry’s hip. 

A few minutes later, he felt Harry’s breathing evening out, looking down at him. The boys curls perfectly framed his face, and his lips parted just slightly. His face was soft, a lot more relaxed than Louis was used to.

His thumb drifted over to gently brush against Harry’s cheek bone, letting out a small sigh before he turned away. 

“Oh my god..you’re creepy.” He scolded himself, trying not to laugh and wake Harry. 

Louis got through one more episode, eventually reaching over and turning off his lamp, lowering the tv volume.

He moved as slowly as he could, pulling off his jacket and tossing it off into the floor before lying back down on his side. 

He wrapped one arm back around Harry’s waist, falling asleep before he could hear the small hum that vibrated through Harry’s lips, or realize that Harry was cuddling right back into him.


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ok so i still suck at chapter summarys oh no.
> 
> The morning comes, they’re too close, but not close enough. Things are realized and Louis goes behind Harry’s back for reasons other that messing with his hair. 
> 
> that sounds dirty it isn’t i’m sorry 😔

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i still can’t write i’m so sorry if this is just like every fic you’ve ever read but worse
> 
> i had over 3k words i accidentally deleted and i’m literally so sad rn i didn’t read over this i’m sorry

The sun rose early that morning, casting a soft light over the room and both of the softly snoring boys. Neither one of them stirred once the birds outside on the windowsill started chirping, either. 

Louis slept till at least ten, waking up due to an itch. He scrunched up his nose a bit, then finally blinked his eyes open to find out what it was. 

He saw nothing but a head full of curls cuddled into him. Louis took his hand and gently brushed back a few locks, finding Harry’s face smushed against his shoulder in a way that gave him fish lips. 

Louis didn’t dare chuckle and wake him, simply brushing his thumb over the boys cheek and pulling him closer. His eyes closed again, and his nose buried itself in the other boys hair. He had to admit, whatever shampoo Harry had washed his hair with before coming over was his new favorite scent. 

It was strange, really. Almost like something one of his sisters would use, but not as flowery or perfume-y. It smelled more natural, like a plate of strawberries with a chocolate drizzle.

Louis just hoped his nose would remember it. 

Harry found himself waking up halfway through Louis’ monologue of thinking out loud about his curls. He could feel Louis’ finger twirling in and out a few of them. 

Soft mumbles about how soft and bouncy each one was filled Harry’s ears as they spilled out of Louis’ mouth. 

Harry stayed quiet though, leaving his eyes shut until the noise stopped. 

Once the room filled with silence, Harry opened his eyes and looked up to face Louis, rubbing his eyes. 

“Good morning, sleepy head.” Louis yawned, his thumb still sweeping over Harry’s now pink cheekbone. 

Harry gave him a long blink, followed up by a smile when Louis tightened his grip around him. 

“You sleep alright? I didn’t kick you or drool all over you, did I?” He chuckled, and Harry just gave a lazy shrug. 

Louis eventually began telling the story of the dream he’d had about flying farm animals capturing the queen, and it just got weirder with every word. 

“So..the pigs, they were the only ones that couldn’t fly. Weird, right? Considering the whole saying ‘when pigs fly..” Louis mumbled, trying to dump it all out before he forgot, and by the end, he pretty much had. “They ended up getting the queen..and i think that they went over to ireland. I’m not entirely sure, i didn’t stop to listen to the news, i suppose.”

Harry stared up at Louis once he’d finished talking, just seeing Louis’ eyes shine and smile grow. 

Harry’s eyes, on the other hand, were round, and Louis couldn’t tell what kind of emotion was hiding behind them. It was almost blank, but more so on the curious side. 

He leaned into Louis touches and caresses on his cheek, a weak hum buzzing in his chest when his hair was moved out of his face. 

“Not to be creepy or anything..but you’re cute when you sleep. Your lips puff out..and your face just seems so calm..” Louis hummed, and Harry tried not to panic as his skin started switching to a shade of red. 

The corner of Louis’ eyes crinkled with his smile that time, and his fingers lazily traced the boys jaw before tipping it upwards. His tired eyes met Harry’s curious ones, and then Harry was just giving one slow, long blink of understanding. 

Louis prayed he didn’t interpret it wrong, scooting himself down on the bed in the slightest to meet Harry’s lips. 

The kiss was soft and short, but Harry’s lips still started to tingle when he felt Louis’ on his own. He brought his fingers up to brush over his bottom lip, then stuck it between his teeth. 

Louis didn’t even know he was Harry’s first kiss. 

So when he gave the boy another, he didn’t exactly understand why Harry seemed to shut down. 

“Are you okay? Is that not what you meant when you...please tell me i didn’t make you kiss me. Or, don’t tell me, but..you know what i mean.” He mumbled

Harry didn’t even turn to meet Louis’ eyes again. He just laced their fingers with a small sigh and an enormous smile. 

Harry had never had a better morning.

All too soon, Louis was getting himself out of bed and Harry was furrowing his brows. 

“What? Can’t stay in bed all day, plus, i have to use the restroom.” He chuckled, making his way to the other side of the door before closing it. 

Harry kept himself where he was, lazily padding at his lips while he watched the tv, and it was a nice change to hear all the voices downstairs weakly pilling up on top of one another. There wasn’t any angry yelling or doors slamming, it was laughter and soft spoken conversations.

Louis, on the other hand, was sitting on his bathroom counter with the sound of the small clicks coming out his phone every time he typed a letter filling his ears. 

He felt terrible about it, but he was doing the right thing, yeah? Atleast he hoped so. 

“No...he hasn’t said anything, i mean, he laughed in my car? but then he just freaked out about it and i took him home. I haven’t been mean to him or anything like that.” 

Delivered 

He watched the last digit of his time go from a seven to an eight, chewing on his bottom lip once three dots began blinking in the bottom corner of the screen. 

“Okay, just tell me how it goes :)”

Louis’ thumbs were hovering above his phone before diving at the keyboard, typing and sending the message before he could think himself out of it. 

Delivered 

“You what?!!? Why’d you kiss him? He’s gonna freak out about it!”

Louis took a deep breath in through his teeth

“He didn’t freak out, really. He was just kinda..staring at me so, i kissed him. All that happened was he got red, but it happens.”

“You’re his first kiss.”

With that, the screen went black and Louis made way back into the bedroom, slapping a smile onto his face before sitting down next to Harry. 

“Hey. What are you watching? Same thing from last night?”

Harry gave a weak nod, turning to Louis with the corners of his mouth still pulled up. His head was absolutely spinning. He didn’t think he’d ever get over the fact that he’d kissed Louis..or that Louis had kissed him. Whatever, he needed to get his thoughts straight. Get his thoughts straight... Harry hadn’t even really thought about the circumstances or that both of them where..guys. Harry’s first kiss was another boy. His lips were still tingling and his fingertips were still trying not to tremble.

Did that mean Louis liked him? Did he like Louis? Was he gay? He’d never thought about it, really. Maybe. He didn’t exactly understand it. He knew his thoughts would sound more that stupid if anyone could read them, so he was just lucky no one could.

“Are you okay? I don’t think you’ve blinked in atleast five minutes.” Louis mentioned, giving a small laugh 

Harrys lips parted as if he was going to utter an apology, but all that escaped was a small sigh as his eyes turned themself away from Louis.

“You’re fine, i was only teasing.” He smiled, and once Louis went quiet, it was as if he could hear again, the world resumed its rotation.

He heard the chatter downstairs, the words floating effortlessly out of everyone’s mouth as forks clinked on plates and glasses were sat down. 

“Breakfast? I’m pretty sure that’s what everyone down there is doing.” He chuckled “I’m rather hungry meself, but you can stay up here if you’d like.” Louis shrugged, standing and opening the door. 

Harry was quick to jump up, though. Just in time for Louis to see, and wait. 

They both slipped out the door, and Louis nearly slipped down the stairs from the speed he rushed down them with. 

Harry was quite a few steps behind, and when his feet finally hit the ground floor, he felt four pairs of eyes battling to meet his own. 

“They’re you two, are! I thought you were going to sleep through the day.” Jo exclaimed, gesturing to two empty chairs on one side of the table “Well, cmon, you two just be at least somewhat peckish.” 

Louis and Harry gave a nod in sync, Louis pulling out both chairs and sitting in his own. 

Harry cringed when the wood slid against the tile, biting his bottom lip when he sat. His eyes looked down at the plate in front of him, simply staring at the fork and knife placed on top, a napkin folded underneath. 

Louis stabbed a pancake to put on his own plate, getting a spatula full of eggs out the pan, and a few bacon slices. 

Harry watched the food on the plate pile up, giving a few blinks that caught Louis’ attention. 

“Yes, this is your plate, don’t worry.” He chuckled, switching out the one in his hand for the empty one of front of Harry. 

He received nothing more that one long, appreciative blink before Harry took a sip of his orange juice. There was a glass beside everyone’s plate, including his. He was more than thankful to be staying over, he just wished it was forever, but he wasn’t even sure that would be long enough.

Louis went ahead and remade his own, spreading butter on the pancake and drizzling some syrup before passing it over. “Go ahead, if you want any.”

Thirty seconds later and Harry’s pancake was drowning in syrup, and his bacon was just about covered, too. He didn’t mind, though. 

He didn’t know how, or why, but the first bite was amazing. More proof that Jo was an amazing cook. The syrup was the exact same kind in his cupboard at home, but at Louis’, it was just..sweeter, thicker. More...syrupy. He couldn’t understand it himself. 

Through his chewing, he heard Louis speaking between each mouthful, though he was paying too much attention to the food in front of him to really process anything, but one phrase made his head shoot up, and his cheeks turn colour faster than a glass of water when food colouring was dropped in. 

“Harry snores in his sleep.”

Did he really? He couldn’t, could he? His stepfather would’ve atleast woke him and told him to stop a few times..what if he’d tried and Harry couldn’t hear him over his own snores?

“Hey, hey, i’m only teasing. Go ahead and eat.” He chuckled, giving Harry a lazy poke onto his side. 

Conversation resumed, and Harry just took the time to absorb what everyone was saying, and by the time he was done eating, he was sure at least half of his blood had been replaced with syrup.

It took Louis a few extra minutes, but soon enough he was wiping his mouth and placing his napkin on his plate. “You can go lie down if your stomachs bothering you, i’ll wash off our plates, yeah?” He smiled, and Harry felt his stomach flutter. 

Harry’s head fell back onto the pillow as he listened to the water running downstairs, imagining the rush of a waterfall as his eyes closed.

Before he realized, the door was closing and Louis was beside him.

“Cmon, you don’t need anymore beauty sleep.” He laughed, pinching Harry’s nose and turning the tv up a bit. 

“Would you be alright with us going to pick up my friend? Well..she’s not exactly a ‘friend’ we’ve spoke in a class or two, and she asked to hang out this weekend.” Louis hummed. 

Harry tilted his head, messing his with hands. He was just settling into being with Louis, and he knew for sure he’d be a third wheel if they were to be with anyone else. It wasn’t like he was about to join in on the conversation anytime soon. 

He just shrugged. 

“Hmm... i’ll tell her maybe next weekend, i’ll introduce you to her monday, then we could all hangout, yeah?”

Harry shrugged again, picking at his shirt. 

“...Alright. Whenever you’re comfortable with it, but i won’t ditch you or anything like that, just so you know. I wouldn’t even think about it..”

A small smile curled up onto Harry’s face, and he nodded, lazily tapping on Louis’ knee. 

“Yeah, what is it?”

Harry took in a sharp breath, making a confused face before tapping his lips and puckering them. 

“Oh, you’re asking about the kiss, aren’t you..? Louis breathed, scratching behind his ear. “Well, i dunno what you want me to tell you. You’re cute. You’ve grown on me, and i..it seemed right, yeah? I won’t do it again if it bothered you..i’m sorry. I should’ve asked..” Louis rambled, but Harry rapped his knee again and began shaking his head. 

He gave a soft thumbs up from where his hand sat on Louis’ leg, accompanied by a shy grin. 

“Oh thank god i didn’t screw up.” He breathed, wiping his forehead with an exaggerated expression of relief. 

The rest of the day was filled with cuddling, and small pecks at one another’s lips while they watched through a few movies, and maybe a season of the show they’d realized they both watched. The Great British Bake Off was a bit of a classic. 

The sun was setting, and Harry had himself settled in Louis’ arms, nearing his melting point when Louis would poke his fingers through his curls. 

“You want some pajamas to wear tonight? Or..are you staying again? Sorry for assuming.” 

He received a quick nod, along with a hand reaching to grab his own, settled near Harry’s hip. 

“Okay, stay as long as you want. You’re welcome here all the time, and i’ll pick you up whenever, yeah? Don’t let yourself get hurt, Harry. You can always have me come get you..” He mumbled, concern hiding behind his words. 

Harry nodded again, hesitatingly letting his eyes turn back to the tv. 

Night fell, and neither of them bothered getting up to change, just letting themselves drift asleep, tangled up with one another. 

Weekends always did go by too quick.


End file.
